Tis The Season of Food

Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la… It’s the most wonderful time of the year!! I absolutely love this time of the year. For me Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season! I fully embrace the holidays from the shopping, music, decor, parties and of course the food!!!! But Thanksgiving is the holiday that is most about the food. The day is built around a TURKEY! We like to say it’s about what we are thankful for, but let’s look at the evidence. We get up early to put a giant bird in the oven and pamper it all day until it's cooked to a prefect degree. And that’s just for the turkey, the rest of the day we chop, dice, slice, stir, melt, blend, whip, and bake our scrumptious sides dished and desserts. AND it really starts days before.

This was my first Thanksgiving to buy and make the turkey, so I did not realize how long you needed to defrost a turkey. When my mother told me on Tuesday night to start defrosting, I was bit shocked and it was all over FB about people having their turkeys defrosting (that should have been a clue). So this little...big turkey had already consumed our lives before the day had even arrived. And if you are like me, I started planning out my Tday menu at least a month before the big day. I like to mix traditional with modern twists on classics. Here is my Thanksgiving menu:

Roasted Turkey in a broth with rosemary, savory, salt, pepper, and poultry seasons
Mashed Idaho and sweet potatoes with Gouda
Mashed red potatoes with rosemary and fresh roasted garlic
Sautéed green beans with walnuts and pancetta
Homemade cranberry sauce with nutmeg and cinnamon
My Mom and Grandmother's stuffing recipe that is stuffed in the turkey
Baked Mac and Cheese with ham
Relish plate
Gravy
Rich Chocolate Babka Bread
Cheese and Meat plate

Thankfully I didn’t have to cook the entire menu. Since we were unable to spend it with our families, we had a couple of our AF families over and they helped make our feast. Brittany made three AMAZING homemade pies. She made a fabulous traditional pumpkin pie, a to-die-for pecan pie, and apple pie that any grandma would be proud of! Deanne made a great cream corn and a wonderful broccoli casserole that we all asked how she made it! Together we helped us all gain at least 5lbs, but Brit (YES Rick) won the Thanksgiving Eating Trophy. I believe she had 3-4 slices of pie...after appetizers and dinner ;) I am proud to call her my friend! LOL ;)

Thanksgiving really is a day about food, but I do believe it’s also about family and being thankful for what God has given us. This year Rick and I had the humbling opportunity to make food and take it to those in need the morning of Tday. All day long, I kept thinking about the people who went where we took the food and had their Thanksgiving meal there. I am so grateful that we took time to put others before us. It's so easy to get caught up in our own holidays that we forget there are people who may not have a place to call home or a family to sit around a table to laugh with. If you have never made food or served at shelter, I highly recommend it. You will forever see the season of thankfulness and Christ's birth in a brighter and more fervent way.

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving and have a joyous Christmas! Love to hear about your holidays and your favorite holiday foods. Bon Appétit!